Execution by Lethal Injection

On December 29th a 53 year old British citizen Akmal Shaikh was executed by lethal injection. His crime? Smuggling 4kg of heroin into China.

There were claims that Shaikh suffers from bipolar disorder, and that he was tricked into carrying the contraband.

I have one concern, which is borne from several questions:

(1) Is it true that he suffered from bipolar disorder and, if so, was this an isolated incident?

(2) Is it always the policy of the Chinese government to execute for this kind of behavior? (I know the laws are much more strict in China).

This leads to my concern: If it’s true that Shaikh was tricked into carrying the drugs into China, shouldn’t the government make an exception? If the government has ruled that someone has committed a crime, is there no flexibility due to extenuating circumstances?

Finally: Do you think this is an attempt by western media to meddle in China’s internal affairs? Is the publication of this somewhat negative article another way of “keeping China down”?